[Singapore][Competition] Rakuten Startup Challenge

Japan-based electronic commerce and Internet service provider Rakuten has announced its first-ever Rakuten Startup Challenge in Singapore, a competition that looks at getting Singapore-based entrepreneurs and developers to develop personalized e-commerce websites using Rakuten’s APIs (Application Programming Interface).

This challenge comes after the Internet giant set up its Asia-Pacific business headquarters in Singapore last year. It also recently announced a US$10 million ‘Rakuten Asia Startup Fund’ in April earlier this year, signalling its recognition in Asia’s potential booming e-commerce market even as it seeks to expand its operations outside Japan.

Daniel Goh is the founder and chief editor of Young | Upstarts, as well as an F&B entrepreneur. Daniel has a background in public relations, and is interested in issues in entrepreneurship, small business, marketing, public relations and the online space. He can be reached at daniel [at] youngupstarts [dot] com.